The plot fell to the ground
Qi Yan invited Nangong Jingnv to take a seat, but Nangong Jingnv turned into the bedroom and sat down at the round table in the room.
Qi Yan came to stand beside Nangong Jingnv, took up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Nangong Jingnv.
Nangong Jingnu raised her hand and touched the outer wall of the tea cup, it was hot.
"The concubine is really in good spirits, and it's so late that he asked the servants to change a pot of hot water."
Qi Yan put the teapot back to its original place without saying a word, and sat down opposite Nangong Jingnv and said softly, "This minister estimates that His Highness should come and sit, and specially ordered someone to prepare a pot."
Nangong Jingnu's eyes flashed: "Oh?"
Qi Yan still looked indifferent, and replied calmly: "I guess it is time for Your Highness to come to ask for luck."
Nangong Jingnv smiled and asked back, "When did the habit of going around in circles change?"
Qi Yan raised her eyes and looked back at Nangong Jingnu calmly: "His Royal Highness has grown rapidly in the past three years, and it will be meaningless to go around in circles again."
The room was quiet again, and both Qi Yan and Nangong Jingnu were silent.
If it were the past, Qi Yan would definitely ask Nangong Jingnv why she came to visit late at night, so as to leave the initiative to herself, but today Qi Yan directly revealed Nangong Jingnv's intention of coming, and handed over the initiative to the other party.
Three years has been enough to change a lot of things, Nangong Jingnu has become more mature, and Qi Yan... is still incomprehensible.
Nangong Jingnu suppressed the strangeness in her heart. Although she preferred this way to going around in circles, the series of reactions from the opponent always gave her a sense of being invisible. She even began to wonder if the opponent lost the game on purpose. gave myself...
But right now, Nangong Jingnu can't be allowed to think carefully, and there is not much time left for her.
Nangong Jingnv: "The concubine seems to know everything?"
Qi Yan chuckled and said, "What is your Highness referring to?"
A light rhetorical question choked Nangong Jingnu's breath. Yes, this is the true face of this man! It's just that what is hidden under this gentle and elegant is indifferent to the world, or is it something else? Nangong Jingnu couldn't see through.
Nangong Jingnv: "This palace has something for you."
Qi Yan: "My minister will never give up."
Nangong Jingnu: "Have you received the imperial edict?"
Qi Yan: "Yes."
Nangong Jingnu: "Tomorrow, I want you to propose yourself as the chief examiner for this exam."
Qi Yan: "Okay."
Qi Yan's cheerfulness exceeded Nangong Jingnu's expectations and asked, "You don't have anything to ask Ben Gong?"
Qi Yan replied without hesitation: "Since it was His Highness's order, I just do my best, there is nothing to ask."
Nangong Jingnu's lips twitched: "Well, this palace is waiting for the good news of the victory of the consort."
Qi Yan: "Yes."
Nangong Jingnu: "It's getting late, Ben Gong will go back first."
…
Qi Yan sent Nangong Jingnv to the gate of the temple, because she "can't see at night" and couldn't send it far away, she stood at the one-foot-high threshold and watched Nangong Jingnv's honor guard disappear into the night, and then looked up again, in the middle of the night. There was a bright moon hanging in the sky, and a few black clouds slowly drifted by.
Qi Yan suddenly laughed, and then turned back to the bedroom, suddenly remembering that the servant of the concubine sent Ye Mingzhu in yesterday, Qi Yan took out the wooden box and opened it, and a gentle white light overflowed.
Qi Yan put the stand on the table and put the night pearl on it. This was when Nangong Jingnu specially entered the palace to help her beg Nangong when she set up the concubine's mansion.
Recalling the past events in the past, Qi Yan was a little lost. At that time, I never thought that there would be such a day, that His Highness Zhen Zhen, who was simple-minded and easy to control... One day, in order to achieve a certain purpose, he would push himself to the position of the target of public criticism. .
Qi Yan raised her head, her slender fingers rubbed the smooth surface of Ye Mingzhu, and muttered, "You have grown up, Your Highness."
Nangong Jingnu asked Qi Yan to go and recommend herself, but she actually had two purposes.
First, she must have the chief examiner of the imperial examination in her pocket.
Second... She wanted to use Qi Yan to divert the attention of the courtiers, so as to achieve the purpose of sitting quietly behind the scenes.
Now there is chaos in the courtroom, and various forces are fighting for the candidate of the main examiner. If "Nangong Rang" ordered Qi Yan, who had just returned to the capital, to take the exam, he would definitely be suspicious.
But if Qi Yan takes the initiative to invite Ying, the effect is completely different. These people will first doubt Qi Yan's motives, and then they will do everything possible to win her into their own camp. Nangong Jingnu is very clear that Qi Yan cannot rely on any party, then She will become the target of bipartisan suppression, which greatly reduces the pressure of Nangong Jingnu's exposure.
This three birds with one stone, Qi Yan never imagined that Nangong Jingnu would be so resourceful at the beginning of their marriage.
A bitterness spread from Qi Yan's chest all the way to her mouth. She took a sip from the cup of tea that Nangong Jingnu had not touched, and the scorching heat diluted a little bit of bitterness, until it was hot to the core of her heart.
Qi Yan slowly closed her eyes and tapped the table with her knuckles rhythmically.
She hooked the corner of her mouth: "I still want to thank you, Your Highness."
It's just that Nangong Jingnv didn't know that Qi Yan had been on the team for a long time... If she was the chief examiner of the imperial examination this time, it would not only allow Qi Yan to help a group of Jinzhou students logically, so as to deepen her right to speak in the court. , and at the same time can re-establish the "old love" with Nangong Wang.
…
In the early morning of the next day, Qi Yan put on a set of crimson official robes and came to the side hall early to wait.
A quarter of an hour later, the other adults in the central court also entered the side hall one after another. Seeing Qi Yan standing in the corner, they all came forward to say hello. Qi Yan saw some surprises in the eyes of these people, but she greeted them openly. The eyes smiled and greeted them.
Qi Yan knew what these people were surprised about. Wei Guo believed in Confucianism and followed his parents, so almost all of the men in the court had beards. At most, they just trimmed their appearance to keep their appearance from being sloppy. That's it.
Xiang Qiyan is the only one who "shaves" his beard at all.
Qi Yan is 24 years old this year. It is impossible for a 24-year-old man to have no beard, but she has been a concubine for six years and now has a child, so the courtiers will not doubt Qi Yan's identity.
Qi Yan herself knew that this was a problem. At the beginning, she also thought about getting a fake beard and sticking it on, but then she thought that this would not be safe. It would be a big problem if the fake beard accidentally fell off one day. wonderful…
Her identity and things to do are not allowed to make any mistakes. It is better to keep the status quo generously and let others talk about it. Anyway, there is no law that clearly stipulates that courtiers must grow beards.
"Yuanjun!" Hearing the familiar voice, Qi Yan smiled and said: "My colleagues, I'm sorry for the first time."
Qi Yan bypassed the crowd in front of her and saw Gong Yang Huai, the minister of rituals, who was also wearing a crimson official uniform.
Gongyanghuai has a mustache on his lips, which looks a little funny.
Gongyanghuai's face showed an undisguised surprise, and he came to Qi Yan in three steps and two steps: "I haven't seen you for three years, how are you?"
Qi Yan smiled and said, "Toefl, how is Shiraishi?"
Gongyanghuai laughed heartily: "Didn't I write to you a while ago that my wife is pregnant? I gave birth to a son a few days ago, and my concubine also gave birth to a daughter. When are you free as an uncle? Go over there and see?"
Qi Yan: "Congratulations, when I have chosen gifts for my wife and nephew, I will definitely come to visit."
Gongyanghuai: "Then let's say it, remember to bring two jars of pear blossom drunk in your house for fifty years, but it makes me think bad."
Gong Yanghuai realized that something was wrong on Qi Yan's face, he stepped forward and lowered his voice and said, "Yuanjun, the court is not like a place..." He touched the funny moustache and continued: "You must have a proper beard. stay up."
Qi Yan smiled and replied in a just right voice: "Hasn't Baishi forgot? I have another identity besides the official position in the Ministry of Personnel... It is natural that I should be more cheerful as a servant of His Royal Highness."
Many people have heard Qi Yan's remarks, and the implication is that she still needs this good pair of skins to serve Her Royal Highness, and it is not good to grow a beard.
There are naturally a lot of people who laugh at it, but with Qi Yan's current official rank, few people dare to show it openly.
Suddenly, Qi Yan looked at another place.
Gongyanghuai followed Qi Yan's gaze and saw an "old acquaintance" standing at the end of his gaze - Ding Fengshan, the son of Ding Yi, the general in front of the hall.
Ding Yi was the brother-in-law of Taiwei Lu Quan, who was the vanguard of the Wei army's invasion of the grasslands. Ding Fengshan, Qi Yan and Gongyanghuai had known each other in the early years. The three met at the Tongsheng test in Yunzhou.
At that time, Ding Fengshan was a tyrant in Yunzhou, relying on his father's local military power to make a fortune in Yunzhou.
Gongyanghuai understood Qi Yan's thoughts, and explained in a low voice: "It's nice to enjoy the shade under the big tree, but now this young master has developed. Last year, the minister of the Ministry of War returned to his hometown, and the captain personally recommended Ding Fengshan in a letter. He is now the same as us. Sixth Division, although the rank is not as high as ours, the waist is much stronger than ours. The grand captain is his uncle, the old man is the general in front of the palace, the eldest cousin is Zuo Pushe, and the second cousin is the concubine and the imperial guard."
Qi Yan nodded, but Gongyanghuai laughed out loud, Qi Yan turned her head and saw Gongyanghuai covering her mouth and shrugging her shoulders, as if she had thought of something very interesting.
Qi Yan waited quietly until Gongyanghuai stopped laughing, Gongyanghuai glared at Qi Yan: "Why don't you ask me why I am laughing?"
Qi Yan: "What are you laughing at?"
Gongyanghuai made another "hehe" and took Qi Yan's shoulder: "I suddenly found out that you and this young master are still relatives! Look... Zhuohua's concubine is your brother-in-law and his second cousin, you and Ding Fengshan are here. What should I say? I figured…”
Qi Yan's heart filled with disgust, and she took off Gongyanghuai's arm: "Nothing to talk about."
Gongyanghuai was unwilling to forgive, and said with a teasing: "So, your waist is harder than his!"
Qi Yan sighed softly: "It's almost time, those adults are all looking at you."
Gong Yang Huai immediately restrained his smile and made an old-fashioned attitude.
Qi Yan was in a bad mood: almost all the enemies of the grassland are now her "relatives."